Ryan Matthew Stonehouse Bio
Ryan Matthew Stonehouse is an American professional football punter in the National Football League (NFL). Born on May 11, 1999, in San Dimas, California, he played college football for the Colorado State Rams before signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Stonehouse currently holds the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record, the Mountain West Conference record for highest career average yards per punt, and the NFL single-season record for average yards per punt. He is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and consistent punters of his era.
Early Life and Background
Ryan Matthew Stonehouse was born on May 11, 1999, in San Dimas, California, to parents Paul Stonehouse and Natalie Banks. His father, Paul, was a punter for Stanford from 1989 to 1992, and two of Stonehouse’s uncles, John Stonehouse (USC, 1992–95) and Jeff Banks (Washington State, 1996–97), also punted at the Division I level. Growing up around the sport gave Stonehouse early and consistent exposure to punting technique and football culture.
Stonehouse attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. In 2016, he helped lead the Monarchs to a 13–1 record and a deep California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff run, which ended in the semifinals against St. John Bosco. He was later named a Blue & Grey All-American and selected to the 2016 Los Angeles Times All-Star football team. He also competed in the Kohl’s Kicking 2016 Western Winter Showcase, where he was rated as a five-star punter. Recruiting service 247Sports.com rated him as a three-star recruit and the third-best punter prospect in the class of 2017.
Path to Professional Football
Stonehouse received 11 total scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs. On February 14, 2017, he accepted a scholarship offer from Colorado State over programs including Arizona, Cal, Cornell, Eastern Washington, Illinois, Tennessee, Toledo, Utah State, UTSA, and Wyoming. As a true freshman in 2017, he was one of only five freshmen to play in every game, punting 46 times across 13 games and ranking fifth nationally with a 45.9-yard average. He was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list and earned an All-Mountain West honorable mention.
Across his five seasons at Colorado State, Stonehouse developed into one of the most decorated punters in program and conference history. He finished his college career having punted 244 times for 11,656 yards, posting a 47.8-yard career average. That figure set a new NCAA FBS record for highest career average yards per punt, surpassing the previous mark held by Florida punter Johnny Townsend (46.2). He also claimed the Mountain West Conference career average record, which had been held by BYU’s Matt Payne.
Ryan Matthew Stonehouse Career
College Career (2017–2021)
Stonehouse was a multi-year starter for the Colorado State Rams from his freshman season in 2017 through his graduate year in 2021. As a sophomore in 2018, he finished second in the FBS with a 48.3-yard average, punting 65 times for 3,140 yards while placing 18 punts inside the 20-yard line. He was selected to the 2018 All-Mountain West first team and the 2018 Sporting News All-American second team.
Stonehouse was named first-team All-Mountain West three consecutive years in 2018, 2019, and 2020. As a senior in 2020, he played all four games of the pandemic-shortened season and punted 26 times for 1,178 yards. In his final college season in 2021, he posted a career-best 50.9-yard average across 58 punts for 2,953 yards, though he was named to the All-Mountain West second team behind San Diego State’s Matt Araiza.
NFL Breakthrough with the Tennessee Titans (2022–2024)
Stonehouse signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022. He impressed during the preseason and won the starting punting job after the Titans released longtime veteran Brett Kern on August 29, 2022. In a Week 3 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, he punted three times for 181 yards with a long of 70 yards, and he later earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October after recording 20 punts for 1,033 yards and a 51.7 average.
His 2022 rookie campaign was historic. Stonehouse set a new NFL single-season record with a 53.1-yard punt average, breaking a mark that had stood since 1940 when Sammy Baugh averaged 51.4 yards per punt. He led the league in punting yards with 90 punts for 4,779 yards and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) All-Rookie Team and the Associated Press (AP) second-team All-Pro. He also led the league in punts placed inside the 20-yard line.
In 2023, Stonehouse led the league in yards per punt for the second consecutive year and finished with a 53.1 average across 53 punts for 2,812 yards. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors during a Week 12 victory over the Carolina Panthers. His season was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL, a torn MCL, and a broken bone in his non-kicking leg, an injury sustained against the Indianapolis Colts. He returned healthy for the 2024 season and punted all 17 games, recording 73 punts for 3,691 yards and a 50.6 average, including a career-long 75-yard punt against the Colts in Week 6. He finished third in the league in yards per punt and was named an alternate to the 2025 Pro Bowl.
Miami Dolphins Era (2025)
On March 11, 2025, the Tennessee Titans chose not to assign Stonehouse his restricted free agent tender, making him an unrestricted free agent. Five days later, on March 16, 2025, he signed with the Miami Dolphins. He was later waived by the team on August 19, 2025, as the Dolphins finalized their training camp roster.
Notable Events and Milestones
Stonehouse’s 53.1-yard average in 2022 broke an 82-year-old NFL single-season record previously held by Sammy Baugh. He also owns the NCAA FBS career average record (47.8 yards per punt) and the Mountain West Conference career average record. Across the NFL, he has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week and AFC Special Teams Player of the Month.
Ryan Matthew Stonehouse Career Achievements
Stonehouse has built a résumé that includes All-American honors, multiple All-Mountain West selections, and recognition as one of the NFL’s top punters. At Colorado State, he was a three-time first-team All-Mountain West honoree (2018, 2019, 2020) and an All-American in 2021. In the NFL, he earned second-team All-Pro honors and a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2022. He has led the league in punting yards (2022) and yards per punt (2022 and 2023), and he was an alternate selection for the 2025 Pro Bowl.
College Highlights
Over five seasons at Colorado State, Stonehouse punted 244 times for 11,656 yards and a 47.8-yard career average, the highest in NCAA FBS history. His most productive single season came in 2021, when he averaged 50.9 yards per punt. He finished no lower than second in the FBS in punting average during his sophomore and graduate seasons.
NFL Highlights
Stonehouse owns the NFL single-season record for average yards per punt after his 53.1-yard mark in 2022. He has led the league in yards per punt twice and has been one of the NFL’s most active punters inside the 20-yard line. In 2024, he set a career long with a 75-yard punt against the Indianapolis Colts.
Ryan Matthew Stonehouse Family
Family Background and Football Lineage
Stonehouse comes from a deeply rooted football family. His father, Paul Stonehouse, punted at Stanford from 1989 to 1992, and his uncles John Stonehouse and Jeff Banks were also Division I punters. His mother is Natalie Banks. The family’s strong punting pedigree gave Stonehouse a unique foundation as he developed his own career.
Personal Life
Outside of football, Stonehouse enjoys do-it-yourself projects and has built projects around his home, including a covered outdoor kitchen in his backyard. He also fosters and works with shelter dogs in his spare time.
2025 Season Outlook
Stonehouse entered 2025 as an unrestricted free agent after the Titans declined to tender him. He signed with the Miami Dolphins on March 16, 2025, hoping to provide the team with a strong leg and consistent field-position advantage. The Dolphins waived him on August 19, 2025, as part of their final training camp decisions, leaving his next NFL opportunity open. Given his track record of leading the league in average yards per punt and his continued ability to boom punts well past 50 yards, Stonehouse remains an attractive option for teams seeking a veteran punter.
Driving Style and Strengths
Stonehouse is recognized for his exceptional leg strength, his ability to flip field position with deep, well-placed kicks, and his accuracy in pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line. His smooth technique, developed within a family of collegiate punters, has translated into record-setting production at both the collegiate and professional levels.